US television presenter Savannah Guthrie has posted a video message addressing anyone who might be holding her missing elderly mother, presumed abducted from her Arizona home this week, pleading for them to open a line of communication.
Ms Guthrie said in a recorded video posted on social media that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter for Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken from her home in Arizona against her will.
"We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," Savannah Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement.
"We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us."
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at around 9.45pm on Saturday, when she was dropped off at home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing at midday on Sunday after she did not appear at a church.
Watch: Family of Nancy Guthrie plead for her safe return
Kevin Adger, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, said investigators had been at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days and then turned it back over to the family with the understanding they could go back if they needed to.
"This is a follow-up investigation," he said in reference to officials returning on Wednesday.
Mr Adger said the sheriff’s department was not commenting on the video released by the family.
Multiple media organisations reported receiving purported ransom notes on Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department had said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.
Savannah Guthrie was at times emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She smiled and looked into the camera when addressing her mother directly, saying that the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
"Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God's precious daughter," she said.
She described her mother as a "kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light" and said she was funny, spunky and clever.
"Talk to her and you’ll see," she said.
Ms Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron who both also spoke. Annie called their mother their beacon and said they need her.
"Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you," she said.
Authorities yesterday offered no detailed update on their search. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’s office said detectives were still speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend, but that no suspect or person of interest had been identified.
Mr Nanos suggested there was video from some cameras, though he did not elaborate, adding: "That’s all been submitted and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras."
Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search on Sunday indicated that she has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Jim Mason, long-time commander of a search-and-rescue posse in Maricopa County, is not involved in the search for Nancy Guthrie but said desert terrain can make looking for missing people difficult. He said it can be hard to peer into areas that are dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and other desert brush.
"Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it," Mr Mason said.
For a third day, US broadcaster NBC’s Today show, which Ms Guthrie presents, opened with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk.
NBC Sports said on Tuesday that she will not be covering the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics "as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time".
Source: Associated Press
